Sunday, April 19, 2009

Sunday Space

There is a classic teaching story of the young boy who travelled far from his home to study under a great teacher. When he met the wise old man, his first question was, "How long will it take me before I am as wise as you?"

The response came quickly. "Five years."

"This is a very long time," replied the boy. "How about if I work twice as hard?"

"Then it will take ten years," said the master.

"Ten! That's far too long. How about if I study all day and well into the night, every single night?"

"Then it will take fifteen years," said the sage.

"I don't understand," replied the boy. "Every time I promise to devote more energy and time to my goal, you tell me that it will take even longer. Why?"

"The answer is simple. With one eye fixed on the destination, there is only one eye left to guide you along the journey."

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hi,
I think that's a nice story,lol

Buddha told a parable in sutra:
A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him.

Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!